Klingon bird-of-prey (22nd century)
The Bird-of-Prey was a Klingon type of starship used by the Empire's Defense Force in the 22nd century, one of the early ships in the long line of Klingon Birds-of-Prey. (''ENT'' episode & novelization: The Expanse) History The Birds-of-Prey in operation in the 22nd century are the earliest Birds-of-Prey known to be used by the Klingon Empire. Birds-of-Prey have been used in a number of engagements with Humans and one was even stolen by a group of Human Augments in the year 2154. ( }}) Technical data Physical arrangement ]] Comparable in design to its sister classes, the scout and D5-class battle cruiser, the exterior design of the Bird-of-Prey utilized the same basic avian design, including vaguely feather-like hull plating on its wings. The bulk of the ship's overall mass was incorporated in the aft section of the ship. The bridge module was located on a bulbous forward section, which was separated from the aft section by a relatively thin 'neck' that attached to and flared into the aft portion which swept down below the main body, forming wings. Located on the caudal section of the ship were the ship's shuttlebay, impulse engines and two warp nacelles. The port and starboard nacelles were directly connected to the extreme upper aft section of the ship, perpendicular to the impulse engine. ( ) Specifications Design Nimble bird-like craft known as birds-of-prey had been an essential part of the fleet since the Klingons achieved spaceflight. While the design was adapted to become more and more powerful, the basic layout of an engineering hull with a pair of wings and a bridge module connected by a long neck to the primary hull remained consistent. Like their precursors, the Bird-of-Prey of the 22nd century served as scouts and raiders. (ST reference: The Official Starships Collection #35) In the early 25th century, the - and Birds-of-Prey designs harked back to their earlier counterpart. The pointed bridge module and the dorsal superstructure on the engineering hull were reminiscent of their precursor. (ST video game: Star Trek Online) Size At a length of 145.36 meters, the Bird-of-Prey was smaller than the - and battlecruisers and often served as escorts to them. (ST reference: The Official Starships Collection #35) The Birds-of-Prey came to perform the roles of patrol ships and scouts and eventually supplanted the smaller in the 2150s. (ST reference: The Official Starships Collection #41) 22nd century Birds-of-Prey have a substantially higher number of disruptor banks compared to their later relatives however one assumes the disruptor cannons of later variations would be somewhat more powerful. ( ) The Bird-of-Prey is a formidable opponent, but does possess one Achilles-heel: a direct hit on the main plasma junction above the sensor array can disable the entire power grid, at which point the vessel can be easily neutralized. ( ) Tactical systems The offensive arsenal of the Bird-of-Prey was rather impressive, for the time, as the ship possessed at least eight forward disruptor banks, including a twin pair of neck-mounted disruptor cannons, a pair of wing-tip mounted disruptor cannons, and a 360º rotating turret containing twin belly-mounted disruptor cannons. The class was also equipped with dual photon torpedo launchers, positioned fore and aft, and defensive shields. (''ENT'' episodes: "The Expanse", "Borderland", "Cold Station 12") This class, however, had minimal aft weapons. ( ) Prior to the refitting of , one Bird-of-Prey was more than a match with the ; however, it was unable to repel three older Earth vessels at one time. After Enterprise was upgraded, it was nearly an even match with the Bird-of-Prey. ( ) This class of Bird-of-Prey could outgun an Orion interceptor, two to one. ( }}) File:Klingon b-o-p forward torpedo, Augments.jpg|Forward torpedo launcher File:Klingon b-o-p firing wing cannons, borderland.jpg|Wing-mounted cannons (intermittent beams) File:Klingon b-o-p firing wing cannons, augments.jpg|Wing-mounted cannons (solid beams) File:Klingon b-o-p bridge cannons, Borderland.jpg|Bridge-mounted cannons Additional systems This class of vessel was equipped with tractor beam technology. It had one emitter located on the underside of each wing that, when used in conjunction, could be used to manipulate a ship to its belly docking port. ( }}) Unlike the Raptor class, this class of Bird-of-Prey was equipped with escape pods. The Bird-of-Prey's escape pod hatch was also located on the belly of the ship. ( ) One major flaw of the Bird-of-Prey's design was found at the nape of the ship's neck and primary hull; a direct hit on the main plasma junction, located above the sensor array, could disable the entire power grid. ( ) Shuttlebay The shuttlebay was located on the extreme aft of the ship, directly below the impulse engines. It was large enough in capacity to store a Denobulan medical ship. (''ENT'' episodes: "Cold Station 12", "The Augments") Interior design Like the Raptor-class scouts of this era, live food was kept aboard these Birds-of-Prey in the targ pits, presumably adjacent to the galley. ( ) Bridge Located in the "head" of the forward section of the vessel, the bridge, which was plated with dispersive armor, was one of the most protected sections of the ship. ( ) The configuration of the Bird-of-Prey's main bridge shared with many features found in contemporary designs. In the front of the bridge, against the forward bulkhead, was the ship's viewscreen. Directly behind the viewscreen, near the center of the bridge was the captain's chair. Directly behind the captain's chair, was the entryway to the bridge, with two manned consoles located on either side of the doorway. Along the perimeter of the bridge were several stations, each designated for a specific task. (''ENT episodes: "Borderland", "Cold Station 12", "The Augments") Crew quarters The Bird-of-Prey had crew quarters for the crew, it had a bed and a chair in the quarters. ( ) Known vessels *Duras's bird-of-prey (destroyed in 2153 by inside the Delphic Expanse) ** (destroyed by the ) *Malik's bird-of-prey (destroyed in 2154 by Malik) * (went missing in the Borderland in 2159; rediscovered in 2386; destroyed by Orion interceptors) *unnamed Klingon birds-of-prey Category:Klingon starship classes Category:Klingon bird-of-prey starships